Even as we continue to be told that there was nothing political about the IRS’s singling out of conservative organizations for special treatment, a new target has emerged: Friends of Abe. And in Hollywood of all places.

Friends of Abe is named for Lincoln, and brings together one of Tinseltown’s rarest species — conservatives. Though it started as an e-mail chain, it has applied to the IRS for 501(c)(3) nonprofit status.

Friends of Abe has been waiting two years for an answer. As part of the investigation, the IRS has asked for access to its private website — which the group has resisted because it would mean giving the IRS access to the names of its members.

Liberals should especially support the Friends of Abe in this resistance. Back in 1958, the Supreme Court ruled against the state of Alabama’s request for a membership list from the NAACP, which it had sought as part of a lawsuit claiming NAACP had violated an Alabama business law. The court recognized that making those names known to the government opened NAACP members to harassment.

Though Friends of Abe does not face the threats to life and limb NAACP members faced in 1950s Alabama, they have very good reason to fear the consequences for their livelihoods of holding conservative views in a liberal industry. Once again, it’s the investigators who should be investigated.